Natural Protein Shake Recipe (Smoothie)

This drink is made with mango purée, orange juice and a banana. The banana gives a smooth texture to the drink; cooked mung beans add protein and tie the flavors together.

I've read that eating breakfast is one of the keys to successfully losing weight. Since I've been waking up at the wee hours of the morning to work out for 45 minutes before starting the day, I want to stack the deck in my favor. A protein shake is the perfect choice for me because I'm not very big on breakfast (unless it's crêpes!).

Ingredients

Directions

Combine the mung beans, bananas, yogurt, orange juice and ice cubes in a blender. Blend all the ingredients for about 2 minutes. While the mixture is blending, add vanilla extract. The consistency of the shake should be smooth and on the thin side.

Pour into 6 small glasses. Finish with little umbrella for decoration.

Enjoy!

Tips

I get oranges straight from my garden and this season they're ultra sweet! I've been leaving fish bones at the bottom of the tree; I was told the calcium makes the fruit very sweet.

I prefer using canned mango pulp because the mangoes are picked at the peak of ripeness, which guarantees a consistent result. I buy it at the Indian store but you can also get it online. I prefer the Kesar mango variety, which is much smaller than the Alphonso kind and much sweeter.

I didn't add any additional sweetener. The bananas and mango pulp were sufficient.

I used store-bought Greek-Style yogurt. We usually make our own yogurt during the summer. It's easier than you imagine; making homemade yogurt doesn't even require a yogurt maker. You can click on the link for the recipe.

For a vegan version, you could use soy milk or any soy product.

I use the Vitamix blender. It's rather expensive but so worth it. It crushes ice into sno-cones almost instantly. It's perfect for smoothies; the mung beans aren't noticeable in the drink. Just make sure there is some amount of liquid before blending so that the motor doesn't burn.

If mung beans aren't appealing to you, you can replace them with 1 ounce whey protein powder in health food stores like GNC, or many supermarkets like Whole Foods.